(sorry if I'm being silly, I'm a noob in all things arts and literature)
I was reading some stuff and realized that, when hope is the matter, the symbols are usually variations of these: nature awakening (flowers blooming, birds singing...), sunrise, sun coming from behind clouds, illuminated subject in a dark ambient.
As a mental exercise, I tried to remember/think of other images that are used or could be used to convey hope, but I can't think of any.
Have you ever written or read anything that uses other symbols to convey similar feelings as the images mentioned?
I think that's a great takeaway. As you've pointed out, there are very few symbols that are truly universal because the associations people have are determined by their environment, culture and so on. I would say also that if you are a writer or an artist of any kind you have the power to create those associations. A lot of powerful art is created through an symbols that a viewer/reader may not have expected or even thought of